Down by as many as seven points, Howards Grove clawed its way back in the second half and eventually outscored Sheboygan Christian 10-3 in overtime to beat the Eagles 44-37 for a Big East Conference Tournament win.

Sheboygan Christian jumped out to the early lead due in large part to some sharp shooting from beyond the arc, but after the half, Howards Grove limited the number of looks the Eagles saw from deep and the result was a much improved defensive effort. After scoring 21 in the first half, Sheboygan Christian only managed 13 points after the break.

Acting head coach Wade Georgeff said the win carried with it some revenge factor after losing to the Eagles in the regular season.

"That was the mission," he said. "Everyone was pumped up for this and they wanted to avenge what happened in the regular season. It didn't look good for awhile. The same things plagued us again. We had missed free throws and we allowed one girl to get too far in the zone. Their three-point shot was on fire tonight, so we had to make some adjustments. We got out of our typical defense and go into man."

Point guard Brittany Schaller played with poise and controlled the pace of the game, especially in the overtime period, finishing with 12 points. Most importantly, she made her free throws down the stretch, including a 4-4 streak late in overtime.

"I feel like I can control my emotions out there," Schaller said. "I've been on varsity since freshman year, and coach has really been on me about making the right decisions. I feel like I can knock down the shot if it comes to that. We're fighters. We stick it out until the end, and we have good chemistry, so we don't get on each other. We try and stick together as much as we can, and try to shut the other team down, instead of ourselves."

Georgeff said having a guard like Schaller is a huge advantage in close games. To know he can put the ball in her hands and she won't make mistakes is a luxury.

"She's a player," he said. "She gets up for it. She pushes herself and her teammates day in and day out. We've seen games with her before when she has two or four points in the first half, and then she erupts in the second half."

Addi Gerber tied with Schaller for a team-high 12 points in the win.

For Howards Grove, the win was further proof they're playing their best basketball of the year and it's coming at the right time.

"It's huge," he said. "Christian has played a number of overtime games and I believe they won them all, so I reminded them of that. We've had a lot of really good teams here at Howards Grove, but in pressure situations, sometimes we haven't come through. To see these juniors come through in crunch time is huge."

Howards Grove's Kaitlynn Near (30) and Addisyn Gerber (34) bounce into each other in excitement following their win over Sheboygan County Christian Thursday February 11, 2016 at Howards. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin